A typical fuel supply unit for a vehicle includes a steel fuel flange configured to be sealed to a wall of a fuel tank. The flange is interconnected with a fuel pump assembly by a pair of metal struts. Typically, metal mounts, cups or brackets are used to secure the struts in place with respect to the flange. The struts are typically secured to the brackets or mounts using a welding process that increases costs of assembly. In addition, the flange supplier must deal with the struts extending from the flange, which increases the complexity of shipping the flange, and increases the number of parts required at the flange supplier. Furthermore, the reliability of the strut-flange connections needs to be improved.
Accordingly, there is a need provide a plastic strut mount structure for a fuel supply unit so that assembly of the unit can be made more easily.